Mari Broman's "The Column"

A Christmas Kindness

In my early years as a young adult I was a bank teller. I thought that would be a great job handling lots of money. I remember one year we had a very nice Christmas party. It was at a nice hotel and we were served hors' dourves and a wonderful dinner and all. As cocktails were delivered I went over to a piano that
was in the corner-with all the activity happening I knew
I wouldn't be paid much attention.

I sat down and played "Silver Bells" and a few people looked up and seemed to enjoy the tune. One person in particular noticed very keenly and she came over and told me how much she enjoyed me playing, could I play some more. Then she said she had always had a dream of playing the piano and never could, she confessed she couldn't carry a tune. She enjoyed music though and told me how she always admired people that could play and not even have music in front of them.

I sat at that piano bench just beaming. She was Vice-president of operations of this bank and was revered there for her knowledge, position and twenty plus years of experience and her always positive attitude. I was 19 years old, and a new teller and at my first hotel company sponsored party and was sure she
wouldn't even know I existed. But she told me she envied my talent. I was blown away.

In life we just never know when people see the skills or gifts we hold. We can be looking at others with envy in our eyes, wishing we were them, or aspiring to be them someday. We just never know the impressions people have of us until they tell us.

I encourage you to let someone you have admired or felt they had some positive skills know that today.
This memory of mine is about 35 years old, and that wonderful lady sadly, died of lung cancer a few years later. If she hadn't taken a moment to let me know her feelings my memory life would not have been so full. I would probably have not remembered that gala evening at all. After all, the best part of that evening was someone who was very successful and of importance in our business took the time to notice someone who wasn't yet successful, or important in the business, but made that young, new teller feel successful and important. What a Christmas Gift that was.

Reach out and encourage someone during this giving season, it costs you nothing but your time- it will fill their memories in ways you wouldn't have imagined.
It will bring out their best- and yours too.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa everyone!!!!!!!